A statistical framework for assessing temperature controls on landscape Freeze-Thaw: Application and implications in Québec, Canada (1979–2016)

•We suggest a fresh look at modeling properties of Freeze-Thaw (FT) using copulas.•There are strong relationships between temperature and FT characteristics.•There are significant variations in these dependencies across time and space.•We show the nonsymmetric response of FT characteristics to temperature change.•A similar change in temperature causes higher impacts on FT in recent years.